Kavem Hodge put West Indies firmly in the driver’s seat with a commanding unbeaten century as the visitors tightened their grip on the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday. Backed by valuable contributions from Kevin Wickham and Brandon King, Hodge guided West Indies to 345/3 at stumps on Day 4, stretching their overall lead to 315 runs and leaving Bangladesh with a daunting task to avoid a series whitewash.With just one day remaining, West Indies are well placed to dictate terms and push for a clean sweep after having already taken control of the contest. Bangladesh’s bowlers struggled to find answers against a West Indies batting line-up that showed patience and aggression in equal measure.Hodge remained unbeaten on 140, while Amir Jangoo was batting on 20 when bad light brought an early end to proceedings.
Hodge leads West Indies’ charge with unbeaten century
Resuming the day at 7/0, West Indies made a confident start as King and Joshua Da Silva put together an 85-run opening partnership. The stand was eventually broken by Taijul Islam, who produced a sharp delivery to trap Da Silva leg-before for 36.King continued to look comfortable at the crease and brought up his sixth Test half-century. However, his promising innings came to an end when he attempted an aggressive shot against off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and was dismissed for 61, leaving West Indies at 119/2.Bangladesh briefly sensed an opportunity after picking up two wickets in quick succession, but Hodge and debutant Wickham ensured the momentum remained with the visitors.Hodge took on the Bangladesh spinners with confidence, using his feet effectively and finding the gaps with well-timed sweeps. He brought up his third Test century off 142 deliveries, sweeping Taijul towards square leg for a single.
Debutant Wickham makes another valuable contribution
Wickham continued his impressive debut Test with a fluent 78, adding crucial runs alongside Hodge after Bangladesh had made inroads into the West Indies batting order.The youngster brought up his second half-century of the match off 68 balls, striking a boundary through extra cover. Having scored 61 in the first innings, Wickham looked well on course for another significant contribution before chipping a delivery straight back to Taijul, who took a return catch to dismiss him for 78.The dismissal ended a crucial partnership and gave Bangladesh some relief, but Hodge continued to dominate as West Indies moved closer to an imposing total.Taijul was the pick of Bangladesh’s bowlers with figures of 2/118, while the rest of the attack struggled to contain the visitors.
Bangladesh face uphill task after Hridoy’s historic double century
Earlier in the match, Towhid Hridoy produced a remarkable unbeaten 242 to help Bangladesh recover from a difficult position and post 386 in their first innings. His knock gave the hosts a 30-run lead after West Indies had been bowled out for 356.Hridoy’s innings was particularly significant as he became only the fourth Bangladesh batter to score a Test double-century, joining Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.Despite his extraordinary effort, Bangladesh now face the prospect of a challenging final day as West Indies look to build an even bigger lead before declaring. Hridoy believes Bangladesh can still make a contest of the match, stressing that a strong start will be crucial if they are set a target in the region of 350 runs.
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